Children's Home run by Care 4 Every Child Limited in Salford

Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 1 Registered provider: Care 4 Every Child Limited Full inspection Inspected under the social care common inspection framework

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Information about this children’s home

The home is owned and managed by a private company. The home provides care and support for four children who can no longer live at home.

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Information about this children’s home

Due to COVID-19 (coronavirus), at the request of the Secretary of State, we suspended all routine inspections of social care providers on 17 March 2020. This is the first full inspection since the home’s registration in June 2020.

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Information about this children’s home

The manager resigned from this home in January 2021.

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Overall experiences and progress of

children and young people, taking into account

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requires improvement to be good

How well children and young people are helped and protected requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The effectiveness of leaders and managers requires improvement to be good

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requires improvement to be good

The children’s home is not yet delivering good help and care for children and young people. However, there are no serious or widespread failures that result in their welfare not being safeguarded or promoted.

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requires improvement to be good

Overall judgement at last inspection: not applicable

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requires improvement to be good

Enforcement action since last inspection: none Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 2

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improvement to be good

Three children live in this home. When children move in and out of the home, the transitions are not well planned. For example, for the newest child, the acting manager did not consider the other children’s needs as part of this process and whether there would be any conflicting concerns that may impact on the other children. Further to this, the acting manager did not take into account the home’s location area report as part of the process. As a result, he did not consider any potential risks and whether these would have any bearing on the suitability of the placement.

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improvement to be good

Children said that they are happy and safe at this home. Children talked about the good relationships that they have with each other and the staff team. The children were able to identify several members of staff that they could talk to if they had a concern and staff that they liked doing activities with. For example, one child said, ‘I like baking with [staff name] because she is the best.’

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improvement to be good

Before coming to this home, the children either did not attend school or had poor attendance. The acting manager has worked with a range of educational professionals to ensure that all the children have an educational placement. As a result, all the children attend school, or an alternative education provision, and their attendance is good. Children have ambition for their futures.

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improvement to be good

Children have good access to a range of health services. The staff have worked with the children to help them get over their fears of needles. As a result, children attend the dentist and they have had their immunisations brought up to date. However, this good practice is not recorded in the children’s plans. Likewise, all the records that are kept in the home show the progress that children are making. But there is little information on how this progress was achieved. Therefore, this does not show the child’s journey throughout their stay at the home.

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improvement to be good

Members of staff work closely with the children, their parents, their family members, and professionals so that they see each other regularly. This focus on positive family time means that important relationships are maintained and built upon.

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improvement to be good

Staff do not assess all known risks that are recorded in children’s local authority documents. Furthermore, there is no clear guidance for staff to follow if an incident was to occur. Consequently, staff are not provided with clear guidance on safeguarding matters and this undermines continuity in the staff team’s response to the children. However, when the inspector highlighted this to the acting manager, he took immediate action and strengthened the children’s risk assessments. Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 3 Restraint is rarely used in the home and only as a last resort. The children and staff have had the opportunity to discuss these incidents and have been able to reflect on what they could have done differently. However, the records have not been signed and dated by the acting manager. This does not show that the acting manager is effectively overseeing these incidents.

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improvement to be good

Children have been reported missing from this home, but these incidents are reducing as the children become more settled in the home. Records show that staff search the local area and continually try to find children. Return interviews are completed. This means that children have someone who is independent from the home to talk with if they wish to raise a concern.

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improvement to be good

There have been several incidents where the police have been called to the home due to the children’s behaviours. However, the acting manager has not always informed Ofsted as part of their safeguarding process. This reduces the regulator’s oversight.

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improvement to be good

Prior to January 2021, the staff team failed to manage children’s behaviour. The staff and professionals spoken to at this inspection said that there was a lack of routine, structure and boundaries implemented in the home, that staff were not consistent in their approach and that the children were doing what they wanted. However, children’s behaviour is now improving. This is because there is a consistent staff team who are very experienced and qualified. A professional said, ‘I was thinking of moving this child, but the new staffing structure has made a big difference. I cannot praise them enough, especially the acting manager. My child is responding to the firm boundaries and praise given to him.’

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improvement to be good

Further to this, children said that the rewards and incentive systems in the home encourage them to be good. Likewise, children said that sanctions were fair and that they were given the opportunity to make things right.

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improvement to be good

The company follows the safer recruitment guidance. All checks are completed and verified to make sure that staff are suitable to work with children.

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good

The home was registered in June 2020. Several members of staff told the inspector that there was friction between the management team and that some staff lacked experience of working with children. This had a negative impact on the children living in the home. In January 2021, the registered manager, deputy manager and four members of staff left. The company quickly recruited an experienced and qualified acting manager. The acting manager made it his priority to recruit and establish a staff team that could care for the children well. Consequently, there are more clearly defined roles within the staff team, such as a deputy manager and senior support staff. Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 4 New staff complete a thorough induction, which includes completing all mandatory training, plus additional training specific to the children’s individual needs. Most of the staff have a recognised childcare qualification; some have higher qualifications

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good

or are working towards gaining further qualifications. The acting manager and deputy have the Level 5 award. This means that children are cared for by a qualified, experienced and well-trained staff team.

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good

The acting manager provides each member of staff with good support, guidance, and encouragement. Staff have regular opportunities, through practice-related supervision and team meetings, to reflect on the children’s progress, how to improve the support they give to children, developing their knowledge and skills, and the emotional impact of the work. One member of staff described the acting manager as ‘a breath of fresh air’.

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good

Overall, children’s records reflect their care plan and the progress they are making. However, the home’s records do not show the support that staff have given to the children to attain this progress. Further to this, the children’s files are not easily accessible. This is because old information or duplicate information is kept on the child’s file. Numerous records have not been signed or dated by the author, the acting manager, or the social worker. This does not ensure that there is good oversight of the records or that all parties agree with the plans. The external monitoring is ineffective because the independent visitor has not highlighted these issues to the acting manager. As a result, the acting manager has not been able to address and take quick action to remedy these issues.

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good

The acting manager has developed effective relationships with social workers, educational professionals, and health professionals. Feedback from stakeholders, at this inspection, was extremely positive. They all reflected on the changes that the acting manager has made, such as better communication between them, the staff changes and the good structure in the home. They all said that the children were now settled, accepting direction, and making good progress. Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 5

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Statutory requirements

This section sets out the actions that the registered person(s) must take to meet the Care Standards Act 2000, Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. The registered person(s) must comply within the given timescales.

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

assess whether each child is at risk of harm, taking into account information in the child’s relevant plans, and, if necessary, make arrangements to reduce the risk of any harm to the child;

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Requirement Due date

understand the roles and responsibilities in relation to protecting children that are assigned to them by the registered person;

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Requirement Due date

take effective action whenever there is a serious concern about a child’s welfare; and

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Requirement Due date

are familiar with, and act in accordance with, the home’s child protection policies;

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Requirement Due date

that the home’s day-to-day care is arranged and delivered so as to keep each child safe and to protect each child effectively from harm. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(a)(i)(v)(vi)(vii)(b)) 30 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The protection of children standard is that children are protected from harm and enabled to keep themselves safe. In particular, the standard in paragraph (1) requires the registered person to ensure—

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Requirement Due date

that the premises used for the purposes of the home are located so that children are effectively safeguarded. (Regulation 12 (1) (2)(c)) 30 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 6 Specifically, ensure that the location area report is used when considering whether the area is safe for a new admission to the home.

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must notify HMCI and each other relevant person without delay if—

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Requirement Due date

a child is involved in or subject to, or is suspected of being involved in or subject to, sexual exploitation;

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Requirement Due date

an incident requiring police involvement occurs in relation to a child which the registered person considers to be serious;

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Requirement Due date

there is an allegation of abuse against the home or a person working there;

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Requirement Due date

a child protection enquiry involving a child — is instigated; or

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Requirement Due date

concludes (in which case, the notification must include the outcome of the child protection enquiry); or

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Requirement Due date

there is any other incident relating to a child which the registered person considers to be serious.

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Requirement Due date

A notification made under this regulation—

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Requirement Due date

the other persons, bodies, or organisations (if any) who or which have been notified; and any actions taken by the registered person as a result of the matter;

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Requirement Due date

must be made or confirmed in writing. (Regulation 40 (4)(a)(b)(c)(d)(i)(ii)(e) (5)(a)(i)(ii)(iii)(b)) 30 June 2021

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Requirement Due date

The registered person must ensure that an independent person visits the children’s home at least once each month.

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Requirement Due date

When the independent person is carrying out a visit, the registered person must help the independent person—

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Requirement Due date

if they consent, to interview in private such of the children, their parents, relatives, and persons working at the home as the independent person requires; and 30 June 2021 Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 7 to inspect the premises of the home and such of the home’s records (except for a child’s case records unless the child and the child’s placing authority consent) as the independent person requires.

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Requirement Due date

A visit by the independent person to the home may be unannounced.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person must produce a report about a visit (“the independent person’s report”) which sets out, in particular, the independent person’s opinion as to whether—

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Requirement Due date

children are effectively safeguarded; and

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Requirement Due date

the conduct of the home promotes children’s well-being.

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Requirement Due date

The independent person’s report may recommend actions that the registered person may take in relation to the home and timescales within which the registered person must consider whether or not to take those actions. (Regulation 44 (1) (2)(a)(b) (3) (4)(a)(b) (5))

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that children are encouraged by staff to see the home’s records as ‘living documents’, supporting them to view and contribute to the record in a way that reflects their voice on a regular basis. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 58, paragraph 11.19)

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Recommendations

This is specifically in relation to the structure of the children’s files.

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that the home’s records on each child represent a significant contribution to their life history. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.5)

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Recommendations

This is specifically in relation to ensuring that the steps taken by staff to secure good progress and outcomes are clearly recorded within the children’s documents.

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that records kept in the children’s home are signed and dated by the author. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 62, paragraph 14.3) Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 8  The registered person should have a workforce plan which can fulfil the workforce related requirements of regulation 16, schedule 1 (paragraphs 19 and 20) (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 53, paragraph 10.8)

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Recommendations

 The registered provider should ensure that staff help each child to prepare for any moves from the home, whether they are returning home, moving to another placement or adult care, or to live independently. (‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’, page 17, paragraph 3.27)

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Recommendations

In particular, ensure that the home has a transition plan that supports children to move into the home.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors have looked closely at the experiences and progress of children and young people, using the ‘Social care common inspection framework’. This inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service, how it meets the core functions of the service as set out in legislation, and to consider how well it complies with the Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 and the ‘Guide to the children’s homes regulations including the quality standards’. Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 9

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Children’s home details

Registered provider: Care 4 Every Child Limited

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Children’s home details

Registered provider address: Library Chambers, 48 Union Street, Hyde, Cheshire SK14 1ND

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Inspector

Pam Nuckley, Social Care Regulatory Inspector Inspection report children’s home: 2590699 10 to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspector

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Inspector

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Inspector

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